James Lawrence Powell (born July 17, 1936) is an American geologist, writer, former college president and museum director.

Following his positions in higher education, Powell presided over the Franklin Institute and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

In Four Revolutions in the Earth Sciences, Powell addresses dinosaur extinction in addition to three other scientific debates: deep time, continental drift and global warming.

Powell has posited that the scientific consensus on global warming nears universality and he actively counters climate change denialism in his research and other publications.

[5] Powell left academia to preside over the Franklin Institute (1991–1994)[6] followed by the National History Museum of Los Angeles (1994–2001).

[10] He resigned in March 2022 in protest against the publication of an article in Skeptical Inquirer by CSI fellow Mark Boslough regarding the Bunch et al.

He stated that it "violates nearly every tenet of proper skepticism" as defined by CSICOP and CSI, citing CSI-co-founder and executive council member Ray Hyman.

"[14] Powell has researched the scientific consensus view of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) in a series of studies evaluating the peer-reviewed literature.

[20] Powell reviewed the abstracts of hundreds of articles on plate tectonics, evolution, and impact cratering to show that scientists almost never directly affirm the ruling paradigm of their discipline.

[27] A New York Times editorial co-authored by Powell and Michael E. Mann recommended that the American Museum of Natural History remove Rebekah Mercer from their board as her family foundation supported climate change denialism.

[28] In a self-published 2020 book,[29] Powell defended the controversial Younger Dryas impact hypothesis which has been rejected by the mainstream scientific community.